Document handling stacking apparatus



Feb. 26, 1963 Filed May 31. 1960 Fig. 1

E. P. MAIDMENT DOCUMENT HANDLING STACKING APPARKTUS 3 She'ets-Sti'et 1 IN V EN TOR.

[ARL R MAID/WENT. BY

A TTORNEY- Feb. 26, 1963 E. P. MAIDMENT 3,079,

DOCUMENT HANDLING STACKING APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 .Fig. 41.

92 94 INVENTOR.

50 EARL R NA/DME/VZ A T TOR/VEV.

United States Patent 3,079,151 DOCUMENT HANDLENG STACIQNG APPARATUS Earl P. Maidment, Roym Oak, Mich, assignor to Barroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 32,794 7 Claims. (Cl. 271-71) This invention relates generally to sheet stacking apparatus to receive sheets en route thereto at high speed and particularly to mechanism for controlling and arresting the sheets at the stacker.

It is an object of the invention to provide in a sheet stacking apparatus in which the sheets are successively propelled in free flight at high velocity, for arresting the sheets at the stacker without appreciably damaging the sheets.

Another object of the invention is to arrest the sheets at the stacker by having them strike against a resilient cushion and yet not bounce materially out of stacked alignment.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a sheet arresting cushion which is held and restrained within a holder in such a manner as to present a resilient diaphragm striker surface for edgewise striking of the sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet stacker bin formed in part by a check arresting cushion member.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sheet stacker apparatus embodying features of the invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view partly in plan and partly in cross section;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the apparatus with certain parts thereof removed so as to more clearly illustrate how a sheet is arrested at the sheet stacker;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional View showing a sheet being arrested at a stacker, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of a detail of the structure.

For purposes of illustrating the invention, the drawings show a portion of a document sorter which includes a supporting structure having an elongated bed 2!} that is inclined downwardly at one side of the structure. .iounted on the bed 29 and extending longitudinally thereof is a document raceway 22 along which documents, such as bank checks are transported on edge and at high speed by suitable feed means, such as a belt (not shown). Extending laterally and downwardly from the raceway there is shown one of a number of bins 24 wherein checks, as at 25, received from the raceway 22 are stacked. For a more complete understanding of the document sorter, reference may be had to the co-pending applications of John W. Smith, Serial No. 798,744, filed March ll, 1959, now U.S. Patent No. 2,970,836, and Serial No. 773,592, filed November 13, 1958, now U.S. Patent No. 2,944,813, which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

In communication with the raceway 22, a curved guide member 26, guides a check into the bight of a pair of feed rollers 28 and 3% which in turn feed the check downwardly to the bight of a second pair of feed rollers 32 and 34 that are located near the upper end or entrance to the bin 24.

The bin 24- has a stationary side structure and guide for checks entering the bin, the structure being designated generally by the numeral 36. The bin 24 also includes a laterally movable side or stack back-up plate 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide 36 is substantially aligned with the bights of the pairs of rollers 28, 39 and 32, 34 to define 3,679,151 Patented Feb. 26, 1953 angle to the back-up plate 38. Preferably, the back-up plate 38 is normal to the raceway 22 and is movable toward and away from the guide structure 36, the back-up plate being slidably supported at one end thereof on a shaft40 and at the other end by a roller 42. A sheet metal bracket 44 supports the shaft 41) and also a pulley 46 for a weight member 50 that is attached by a cord 48 to the movable hack-up plate 38. It will be apparent that as the check stack increases in number of checks, the back-up plate 38 is moved by the check stacking action to expand the bin capacity against the action of the weight acting to return the back-up plate to the empty bin position. An upturned flange 51 of the bracket 44 extends along the lower side edge of the bed 20 to retain the checks and thus defines the bottom wall of bin 24.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 1, the guide structure 36 may comprise a lower rail 52, an upper rail 54, and an intermediate rail 56. The intermediate rail 56 and upper rail 54 may be secured at their upper ends by a suitable bracket (not shown) to the bed 29 and at their lower ends to the curved Wall 59 of a housing 69 that is formed integral with bracket 44 and partly forms the check guide member or structure 36. The lower guide rail 52 is preferably formed of sheet metal having a leg or base 62 spaced above bed plate 20 to overlap a similar base flange 61 on the backing plate 38, as shown in FIG. 1. The rail 52 extends upwardly from the base 62 in the form of a flange which is formed with a twist as shown to cause a check guided therealong to assume a slight twist the purpose of which is to give added rigidity to the thin flexible sheet. At the feed rollers 32 and 34 upper and. lower transversely curved guide plates 61 and 63 respectively overl e the guide structure 36 and cooperate with a curved guide plate 65 to curve and twist the checks to impart added rigidity thereto.

In the bed 20, within the bin 24, a clearance opening 66 is provided for a worm feed screw 68 that rotates about an axis transverse to the direction of travel of checks entering the bin. The purpose of the feed screw 68 is to move the trailing end of each check over toward the back-up plate 38 in sufrlcient time to assure that the leading edge of the next check positions behind the preceding check. Any suitable electric motor 70 may be provided to drive the feed screw 68 through a suitable belt and pulley drive connection 72 between the motor shaft and a driven shaft 71 onto which the feed screw is fixed for rotation therewith. The worm screw 68 is rotated in a direction counter to the direction of travel of the checks entering the bin 24 or counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 1, the thread of the screw being a left hand thread to move the check later-ally toward the backup plate. Consequently, in addition to moving the trai ing end of a check away from the guide 36, the worm also functions to decrease the speed of travel of the check- Positioned between the guide rails 52 and 56 are air nozzles 73 arranged to direct air jets to blow each check broadside into threaded engagement with the feed screw 68. In the present construction there are three of the nozzles 73 on a head 75 which may be connected to a suitable source of compressed air.

Within the housing 60 there is a plurality of vertically spaced friction drive rollers 74 that project through clear: ance slots in housing wall 59 to engage and feed each check toward the bottom of the check bin. The friction rollers 74 are fixed onto a common shaft 76 for rotation together, the shaft being driven by any suitable drive means in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. The rollers 74 are preferably made of a material having a high coefficient of friction such as a rubber to grip the checks. Also, the rollers 74 are rotated at a rate such that the surface or peripheral speed-of the rollers is con- O siderably less than the speed of the checks whereby the roller peripheries function as a friction brake to reduce the speed of the checks as well as assure its full travel to align the front edges of all checks.

In accordance with the invention, 1 provide a resilient cushion member, designated in general by the numeral 39, to arrest the checks at the bottom of bin 28* without appreciable damage to the leading edges of the checks. The cushion member 86 is a hollow elongated member which is arranged in an upright position, interposed in a cutout 82 of the retainer flange 51 and at the housing wall 59, the cushion member, in part, forming the bin 24. The cushion member 80, as seen in cross section, has the general configuration of a trapezium including a base 84, a check striker wall 86, and side walls 88 and 90. The check striker wall 86 is parallel to and oppositely disposed from the base 84, the wall 88 being inclined at an acute angle to the base and wall S 1 preferably being normal to the base. The striker wall 86 and the inclined wall 88 together comprise a diaphragm. The cushion member striker wall 86 projects slightly externally of the receptacle 94 such that a portion 89 of inclined Wall 83 provides a slide to induce checks to move toward the stack. As shown, the base 84 and wall 90 are made thicker than the other walls of the cushion member to lend stability thereto and this is preferably further augmented at the junction of these walls by a thickened reinforcing por-tion 92 (see FIG. 5

The cushion member 89 may be made of any suitably resilient and durable material, such as a vinyl plastisol. One such plastisol that has proven satisfactory is the vinyl plastisol made by the following formulation:

Cure in mold approximately 30 minutes.

The above formulation will provide a cushion member having the desired characteristics of durability, resiliency and a durameter hardness of approximately 40, or hardness less than that of paper sheets normally employed in business documents. Also this vinyl plastisol has a very smooth, or low friction surface. This is advantageous in the present construction of bin 24 wherein the checks are slid sideways off of the cushion member by the stacking action. 7

The cushion member 80 is supported inposition at the lower end of the bin 24 within a channel-like receptacle 94 which retains, but does not oppose displacement of the cushion member material. The inner configuration of the receptacle is complementary to the outer wall configuration of the cushion member. Integral with one leg of the channel-shape receptacle is a plate-like extension 96 which positions flat against the inner surface of housing wall 5? and may be rigidly secured tothe housing wall by screws 97 or by other suitable means. The receptacle 94- is recessed into the adjacent face of the extension J6 to provide a retaining shoulder 98 which together with the inclined wall of the receptacle 94 retains the cushion member against accidental displacement from the receptacle.- As a check, particularly one that has been crumpled, approaches the cushion member 80, the action of the friction rollers 74 and the condition of the check sometimes tends to force the leading edge of the check against the adjacent face of the extension plate 96, and to avoid this, a deflector member 100 having an inclined check engaging surface is provided to direct the check so that its leading edge will strike the cushion member striker wall as substantially midway of the cushion member walls 88 and 90 as shown, for example, in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the deflector member may be formed with a tapered surface 191 for engagement by the checks, and the striker member may be formed integral with, or be welded to, or be otherwise secured to the inner face of extension 6. The butt end, as at 193, is flush with shoulder 93 and cooperates therewith to retain the cushion member 8% within its receptacle 94. The impact of the leading edge of the check against the cushion striker wall 85 will displace the latter inwardly of the receptacle at substantially as illustrated in FIG. 5 whereby to resiliently arrest the check in the bin. The reaction of the resilient striker wall 86 acts to thrust the check in the opposite direction, but the friction rollers 74 largely oppose such action and at the same time are turning in a direction to move the check down into engagement with the striker wall 86. Also the construction of the diaphragm across the corners of the hollow structure provides a component of the diaphragm reaction force that is directed to move the sheet toward the stack. As the cushion member and the friction rollers 74 are acting in opposition to each other to arrest the check, the next check has impinged against the cushion member 8% and moved the preceding check to the left against the action of the weight Stl and this impinging, arresting and stacking operation continues as checks are directed into the bin 24. As each check moves into the bin 24 and strikes the cushion member striker wall 80 there is a tendency for the leading end of the check to move the preceding checks toward the backing plate 38 aided by the feed screw 68 and air pressure from jets 73, and as this action takes place the checks slip oif of the smooth face of the striker wall 86 down the inclined portion 89 onto the adjacent surface of the receptacle and ultimately onto the end wall 51 of the bin in properly stacked relationship.

While I have shown and described the invention in considerable detail, it will be appreciated that many variations may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine having means to feed a sheet of paper on one of its edges along a path of travel, supporting means, a hollow cushion member in the path of travel of the sheet and having an external trapeziumal configuration, and a channel retainer on said supporting means receiving said trapeziumal cushion member with the channel web and flanges complementary to three sides of the latter and with the shorter one of the parallel sides of the cushion member projecting from said retainer for abutment by the leading edge of the sheet.

2. In a machine having means to feed a sheet edge- Wise along a path of travel, a hollow cushion member for the sheet comprising a base, a sheet striker wall spaced oppositely of said base, oppositely spaced side walls joining said base and said striker wall together, the outer wall surfaces of said hollow cushion member defining a trapezium and the inner wall surfaces substantially defining a rhomboid with three sides of the rhom-boid parallel to three sides of the trapezium including the sides defining the striker wall and base.

3. In a machine having means to feed a sheet edgewise along a path of travel, a hollow cushion member for the sheet comprising a base, a sheet striker wall spaced oppositely of said base, oppositely spaced side walls join ing said base and said striker wall together, the outer wall surfaces of said hollow cushion member defining a traps-- zium and the inner Wall surfaces substantially defining a rhomboid with three sides of the rhomboid parallel to three sides of the trapezium including the sides defining the striker wall and base, and a channel retainer receiving said hollow cushion member complementary to the base and side walls with the striker wall exposed for abutment by the leading edge of the sheet.

4. in a machine having means to feed a sheet of paper edgewise along a path of travel to a sheet stacker, a hollow cushion member at the end of the path of travel for abutment by the leading edge of the sheet, the outer surfaces of said hollow cushion member defining a trapezium in.

cross section with the shorter of the parallel sides presenting a bumper surface for the sheet, and a supporting receptacle receiving said cushion member and having an opening exposing a portion of said shorter wall and an adjoining portion of one of the adjacent walls of said cushion member.

5. A cushion member to arrest a paper sheet directed edgewise into contact with the cushion comprising a ba e, a resilient sheet striker wall spaced oppositely of said base, a pair of oppositely spaced side walls joining said striker wall to said base forming a hollow structure, one of said side walls resilient and inclined at an obtuse angle to said striker wall forming a diaphragm therewith.

6. In a machine having means to feed a sheet on edge along a path of travel, a sheet stacking bin comprising a guide member to extend along the path of sheet travel and forming a stationary side of the bin, an end wall transverse to said guide member, a back-up plate movable in broadside relationship to said guide member under the pressure of accumulating sheets and forming the other side of the bin, a resilient sheet striker wall interposed in said end wall at said guide member, the inner face of said striker wall oflset inwardly from said end wall, and a resilient wall joined to said striker forming a yieldable diaphragm therewith and inclined thereto in a direction to urge sheets toward said back-up member.

7. In a machine having means to feed a sheet on edge along a path of travel, a sheet stacking bin comprising a sheet guide member forming one side of the bin, a movable back-up plate disposed in broadside relation to said guide member and forming the other side of the bin, an end wall transverse to said guide member and back-up plate and having an opening at the junction of said guide member and said end wall, a resilient striker wall positioned in the opening of said end wall at said guide member, said striker wall substantially parallel With and offset inwardly of said end wall, and a resilient diaphragm positioned in said opening and joining said striker wall at an obtuse angle to the inner side of said end wall to urge a sheet toward said back-up plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 624,020 Heany May 2, 1899 2,626,800 Martin Jan. 27, 1953 2,904,335 Rabinow Sept. 15, 1959 2,971,459 Johnson et a1 Feb. 14, 1961 

1. IN A MACHINE HAVING MEANS TO FEED A SHEET OF PAPER ON ONE OF ITS EDGES ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL, SUPPORTING MEANS, A HOLLOW CUSHION MEMBER IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE SHEET AND HAVING AN EXTERNAL TRAPEZIUMAL CONFIGURATION, AND A CHANNEL RETAINER ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS RECEIVING SAID TRAPEZIUMAL CUSHION MEMBER WITH THE CHANNEL WEB AND FLANGES COMPLEMENTARY TO THREE SIDES OF THE LATTER AND WITH THE SHORTER ONE OF THE PARALLEL SIDES OF THE CUSHION MEMBER PROJECTING FROM SAID RETAINER FOR ABUTMENT BY THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SHEET. 